Citizens hosts small business award contest

Selected businesses will receive $10,000

Citizens Financial Group Inc. has announced the launch of its fourth annual Small Business Community Champion Award contest. The program is aimed at recognizing the positive contributions small businesses make to their communities.

Now in its fourth year, the contest will award $10,000 each to 30 small businesses across Citizens’ 11-state footprint, which includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. At least 10 minority-owned and 10 women-owned businesses will be awarded prizes “to help further strengthen their communities and their businesses,” according to a press release.

A total of $300,000 will be awarded this year — the largest award pool for the Citizens Small Business Community Champion Award to date. Nominations are being accepted until March 1, 2021 at 5 p.m.

“Every small business follows its own unique journey. Along the way, it makes extraordinary contributions to the lives of their customers and local communities,” reads an online description of why Citizens launched the Community Champion Award.

The contest is open to for-profit small businesses that have been in operation for at least two years, with up to $3 million in revenue and located in Citizen’s geographic footprint.

To enter, eligible businesses will answer three questions, and must also upload at least one photo. The questions are:

• How would you use the Citizens Small Business Community Champion Award to strengthen and sustain your business?

• How would you use the Citizens

Small Business Community Champion Award to support your community’s growth?

• How is your business adapting to meet the evolving needs and behaviors of your customers and/or community?

Winners will be selected based on how their businesses have adapted to “meet the evolving needs and behaviors of their customers and community and the perceived differences of their plans to utilize the prize in order to strengthen and sustain their business and community,” the website reads.

According to the rules, 25 finalists will be identified in each business category, based on the following criteria: the perceived effectiveness of the entrant’s plan to use the prize to strengthen and sustain their business (35%); the perceived effectiveness of the entrant’s plan to use the prize to help their community (35%); and the perceived innovation/creativity of entrant’s action/plan to respond to the changing needs of their customers/community (30%).

To view the official rules, additional instructions and requirements and to enter the contest visit https://www.citizensbank. com/businesschampion. Winners will be notified in April.